Overton in front at Turning Stone Championship

Oct 3, 2008 - 12:31 PM VERONA, New York (Ticker) -- Jeff Overton sits atop the leaderboard entering Friday's second round of the $6 million Turning Stone Championship.

Overton shot a 5-under-par 67 to grab the lead during Thursday's wind-swept first round.

The Indiana product moved into first place with a birdie on No. 8 - his 17th hole after starting the round on the back nine.

He made enough stellar shots during the opening round to move into an unfamiliar position. Albeit early in the tournament, the 25-year-old Overton took the first step toward his first career PGA Tour win.

Overton's best finish this year was a tie for ninth at the AT&T National. He has made the cut 45 times in 75 career events, posting six top-10 finishes - including a second-place effort in 2007.

Steve Allan and Michael Allen are one shot back after firing 67s. Allan briefly held the clubhouse lead before Overton finished with a flourish, holing three birdies in his final nine holes.

Tag Ridings, Carlos Franco and Jason Day are tied in fourth at 3-under.

The field for this week's Fall Series event includes nine players who already have won this season.

Defending champion Steve Flesch, trying to salvage a season which sees him ranked 71st on the money list, is two-over after firing a disappointing 74 in the first round. A four-time PGA Tour winner, Flesch finished sixth at the PGA Championship in August and was 15th at the Deutsche Bank Championship in his last start.

Last year, Flesch got off to a fast start with rounds of 66-65-66 and then held on for a two-stroke win over Allen after closing with a 73. The victory was his second of the season.

In trying to pick a winner, one may want to consider this recent trend - International players have won nine of the last 12 events on the PGA Tour, including all four in the FedEx Cup playoffs (Vijay Singh and Camilo Villegas).

First prize is $1.08 million.